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Help Protect Florida's Black Bears
The Florida Fish and Wildlife (FWC) has been historically misrepresenting the bear-human conflict, deceiving the public in order to appease developers and lobbyists who are FWC affiliates and commissioners with little to no wildlife management background. FWC commissioner and developer Gary Lester encouraged the staff to propose a bear hunt without any science behind the current bear population. On August 13th 2025, a bear hunt was approved.
Florida black bears are a unique subspecies of the American black bear, and they are a keystone species in their ecosystem. Special interest groups, including hunting organizations, and the FWC have approved a black bear hunt in Florida, despite public opposition, a lack of legitimate bear population data to support this move, and a lack of science to justify it . The FWC also continues to represent the hunt as "population control" on their website while publicly affirming a hunt as an oppurtunity for hunters "to harvest a resource."
Studies consistently show that hunts do not reduce human-bear conflicts and rather may increase the problem. Bear biologists have proven that securing garbage, protecting farm animals, and removing bird feeders certainly serve to mitigate human bear conflict. Read a brief fact sheet in support of opposing the moves of a historically deceptive FWC.
CPF is collaborating with Bear Defenders in support of educational and advocacy efforts to promote public awareness of historically deceptive practices of the FWC and to spotlight the inherently amplified cruelty evolving as dogs are being implemented.
When communities start experiencing conflicts with bears, state wildlife agencies frequently institute a hunt or raise the quota of an existing hunt. But abundant studies indicate that hunting does nothing to resolve human-bear conflicts; hunters target bears in the woods, not the ones causing problems near human habitation. Hunting also does not permanently reduce bear populations. According to numerous studies, numbers actually rebound with the increased availability of food.
During the August 13th vote, FWC’s own bear biologist said “no action was needed” and confirmed hunting won’t reduce conflicts, bear-resistant trash cans will. Yet, special interests(Safari Club International) and a few sheriffs pushed killing over science. Questions from the public were replaced by Barreto’s own, and the day ended in self-congratulation.
Visit the Florida Black Bear page to learn the details of what the bears will now face.
HOW CAN YOU HELP THE BEARS?
- signing and sharing this petition.
- Follow on social media for the latest updates. Stop The Bear Hunt
Protecting bears from recreational violence.